Reuters Finds Over $3B in Chinese Computing Projects Built Around Nvidia's Restricted Chips
Exclusive: Nvidia has said US export controls have effectively shut it out of China's AI data-center market, but a Reuters review has identified more than $3 billion in Chinese computing projects built around the American chipmaker's restricted processors
Context
The review shows demand for banned Nvidia hardware inside China is still large just as Congress moves to tighten chip controls and Nvidia changes leadership.
US export controls bar sales of Nvidia's most advanced AI chips, including the H100, H200 and H800, to China, and Nvidia has said the rules have effectively shut it out of China's AI data center market. Lawmakers are weighing bills to tighten those controls further, with OpenAI and Anthropic backing them. Reuters published its review on November 13, a day after Jensen Huang resigned as Nvidia's CEO.
Deep dive
Reuters reported on November 13 that although Nvidia has said US export controls have effectively shut it out of China's AI data center market, a Reuters review identified more than $3 billion in Chinese computing projects built around the company's restricted processors.
According to Reuters, the review examined more than 150 Chinese procurement notices, investment plans, construction contracts and corporate disclosures, and found projects and equipment agreements with a combined reported value above 23 billion yuan, or about $3.2 billion. Reuters said the estimate includes planned investments, signed contracts and completed installations, and covers buildings, power systems and other infrastructure, not spending on Nvidia chips alone.
The projects named in Reuters' factbox include a proposed 6.2 billion yuan computing center in Fujian province specifying H100 chips, a 3 billion yuan center in Shaanxi specifying H100 and H200 processors, and a 1.5 billion yuan project in Inner Mongolia that proposes installing 625 H200 servers. Reuters also reported that a Gansu province center plans to install about 3,072 Nvidia processors, though documents did not show whether they were delivered, and that clusters using H800 chips are already running in Wuxi and Fujian.
Reuters said the projects stretch from coastal tech hubs to remote western provinces and reach local government ventures and universities, and that tighter controls could force delays, cost increases or redesigns around Chinese chips.
What to expect next
Watch for responses from Nvidia, the Commerce Department and lawmakers pushing the chip export bills, which this report may strengthen. Investigations into how restricted chips reached these projects could follow. Nvidia's November 17 earnings call, its first under interim CEO Colette Kress, may bring questions about China exposure and compliance with the existing rules. Chinese chipmakers may also gain if projects switch to domestic hardware.